Feminist News

Sexual Harassment Claims Increases Dramatically

Rates of sexual harassment in traditionally male blue-collar industries are nearly twice that of service-sector industries. A USA Today analysis of 15,691 claims filed in 1995 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found large numbers of complaints were filed by women in the fields of mining, construction, transportation, and manufacturing. Overall claims filed with the EEOC have more than doubled in the five years since Anita Hill exposed sexual harassment by Clarence Thomas. However, a 1995 report, Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workplace, found that only half of all such incidents are reported, and only 6 percent of victims file an official complaint. Fears of retaliation and job loss keep many women in all sectors from reporting incidents. Situations like those exposed in the current EEOC suit against Mitsubishi are not unique.